State Briefs

1 killed, 1 injured in West Memphis shooting

WEST MEMPHIS (AP) - Authorities are investigating a double shooting in West Memphis that left one man dead and another injured.

Police say the shooting happened at about 10 a.m. Sunday outside of an apartment complex. Little Rock television station KATV reports that police found two people suffering from gunshot wounds when officers responded to a call of shots being fired.

Police say 21-year-old Demyrion Miller was shot to death. A second man, 20-year-old Phillip Jones, is in critical condition.

Police are searching for a 21-year-old suspect in connection with the shootings. Anyone with information is asked to call West Memphis police.

Customer wounded in LR bank robbery

LITTLE ROCK (AP) - Police in Little Rock say a customer was shot and wounded during a bank robbery and two suspects are at large.

An Arvest bank branch on busy Chenal Parkway on the city's west side was robbed at about 1:30 p.m. Monday.

Little Rock television stations KATV and KHBS report that one person was shot by the robber, who fled to a car parked at a gas station close by. Police say a bystander shot at the suspect.

The suspects' vehicle was found at a nearby apartment complex but the suspects remained at large.

Little Rock television station KTHV reported that a Carino's restaurant, also on the city's west side, was robbed by two men armed with a shotgun and a pistol Monday morning.

600K visitors later, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is 1 year old

LITTLE ROCK (AP) - Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is now a year old and its presence has brought thousands of visitors to Bentonville and helped change the popular perception of the city.

Crystal Bridges marked its first year on Sunday, having opened in 2011 after years of planning and construction, funded by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. heiress Alice Walton.

More than 600,000 people have visited Crystal Bridges, which makes its home in a northwest Arkansas city of about 36,000 people.

Tourism officials say local tax collections are up more than 10 percent and they expect the museum to sustain its popularity, thanks to changing exhibits that will continue to attract visitors. Some tourists are including the Clinton Library in Little Rock and Crystal Bridges as part of a trip through the state.

Arkansas House eyes possible tie in speaker's race

LITTLE ROCK (AP) - After a campaign season that focused on which party would win Arkansas' House, Democrats and Republicans in that chamber are now grappling with new question: What happens if neither side is in control?

Republicans claimed a majority in the state House last week for the first time since Reconstruction after winning 51 of the 100 seats in Tuesday's election. But a recount in a northeast Arkansas House race that Republicans won could deny the GOP an outright majority.

It's a scenario legislative leaders are preparing for as the House nears a Thursday vote on whether to replace Democrat Rep. Darrin Williams as next year's speaker. House leaders are studying what happens if no one wins a majority in the speaker's race.

'Laugh in Peace' comedy show moved to Robinson

LITTLE ROCK (AP) - The Laugh in Peace comedy performance in Little Rock has been moved from the Clinton School of Public Service to the Robinson Center downtown.

The Clinton School said the Monday night performance was moved because of intense demand for seats.

The Laugh in Peace Comedy Tour stars a rabbi, a Muslim comic and a Christian clergywoman. Its purpose is to interfaith action, multiculturalism and peace through the appeal of laughter.

Doors at the Travis Exhibition Hall at the Robinson Center open at 5:30 p.m., with the performance to start at 6 p.m. Admission is free.

Mo. governor, barge industry urge action

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon and the barge industry are imploring the federal government to keep water flowing on the Missouri and Mississippi rivers or face potential "economic disaster."

The drought has left many waterways at historic lows. Nixon sent a letter Friday urging the Army Corps of Engineers to rethink plans to reduce the amount of water released from the Missouri's upstream reservoir. That would also reduce flow on the Mississippi below St. Louis.

Nixon says the move could create an "economic disaster." Meanwhile, the American Waterways Operators and Waterways Council last week urged Congress and President Barack Obama to act to keep the water flowing.

The Corps said last week that the reduction is the first of several drought conservation measures necessary if drought conditions continue into 2013.

Hendrix College to name stadium for war dead

CONWAY (AP) - Hendrix College in Conway has announced plans to name its new sports stadium in honor of three alumni killed in war.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that the stadium will be named Young-Wise Stadium when it opens in September.

It's being named in honor of 1915 Hendrix graduate Robert Young of Okolona and brothers Jeremy and Benjamin Wise of El Dorado. Jeremy Wise graduated from Hendrix in 1998 and Benjamin Wise in 1999.

Young was killed in 1918 in France during World War I. Jeremy Wise was killed in Afghanistan in 2009 and Benjamin Wise died in Afghanistan in January.

Hendrix officials are working to raise an estimated $8 million needed for the 1,500-seat stadium that will be home to football, lacrosse, track and field and intramurals.

Pine Bluff considers surveillance-system ordinance

PINE BLUFF (AP) - The shooting death of a clerk has prompted leaders in Pine Bluff to discuss a proposal that would require convenience stores and restaurants to install and maintain surveillance cameras.

Authorities say a security-camera system malfunctioned at Big Red Food Mart on Sept. 25 when clerk Mohammad Islam was shot to death. No one has been arrested in his death.

Pine Bluff Alderman George Stepps says he's proposing an ordinance that would require surveillance cameras in convenience stores and restaurants. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that a meeting is set for 10 a.m. Tuesday involving the city's public safety and development and planning committees.

Stepps says the exact details of the ordinance are still being fleshed out.

A spokesman for the Pine Bluff Police Department says the department supports the proposal.

Forecasters predict season's first freeze in Ark.

LITTLE ROCK (AP) - Forecasters are predicting the first freeze of the season in much of central and southeast Arkansas late Monday night into Tuesday.

The National Weather Service issued a freeze warning that's effective until 8 a.m. Tuesday.

Forecasters say freezing temperatures are expected overnight, thanks to the combination of cold high pressure, calm winds and a clear sky. Temperatures are expected to dip below freezing after midnight Tuesday.

The freeze warning is in place for Conway south to Monticello, including the cities of Hot Springs, Little Rock and Pine Bluff.

A separate freeze warning is in effect for Crawford, Franklin and Sebastian counties in western Arkansas. Forecasters say temperatures could drop to the upper 20s overnight.

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State Briefs

Authorities are investigating a double shooting in West Memphis that left one man dead and another injured. Police say the shooting happened at about 10 a.m. Sunday outside of an apartment complex.